Electron-hole plasma in direct-gap semiconductors with low polar coupling: GaAs, InP, and GaSb

Abstract

The ground-state energy of the electron-hole plasma in GaAs, InP, and GaSb is determined using several spectroscopic techniques. Comparison with calculated values shows that the data can be understood within the many-body theory for a high-density plasma in semiconductors; however, the experimental values for the ground-state energy are lower than predicted from the theory. Although these results imply that binding of the electron-hole plasma should be possible, the existence of a liquid in GaAs could not be proven. The experimental data can be explained assuming that at least for temperatures higher than 7 K the density of the plasma is determined by the Mott density rather than by the equilibrium liquid density.